Why is Nepal's aviation safety record so poor?

Nepal has a poor aviation safety record. On 24 July 2024 at around 11-11.15 am, it's Saurya airlines domestic flight from Tribhuvan domestic airport to Pokhara crashed killing 18 passengers on board. Only the pilot survived. Why is Nepal's air safety so low?

Saurya airlines air crash 

On 24 July 2024, a test flight of domestic airlines of Nepal, Saurya airlines, took off from its domestic airport in Kathmandu at around 11 am. But just after take off, it veered to the right and crashed off the runway. The plane caught fire. 18 on board were killed. These included technical staff as well. They were being ferried to Pokhara to repair another aircraft there. 

18 bodies have been recovered until now. The pilot, Manish Shakya, 37 survived and has been shifted to Kathmandu Medical College Hospital situated near the airport in Sinamangal for treatment. He survived because the cockpit separated from the rest of the plane body after the plane crashed. He was removed from the wreckage within 5 minutes and shifted to the hospital. 

Manish has head, leg, and spinal injuries but is out of danger and able to talk. He came out alive from the wreckage of the plane but in a bloodied state. But doctors have operated on him fof his eye and spinal injuries and he has brain swelling as well. He is under observation in neuro ward. 

Fire brigades and ambulances reached the spot immediately. But the question is what caused the crash? Was it a technical issue or the pilot fault? Detailed investigations would tell later on. 

Why Nepal has low aviation safety record?

Actually, UK and European nations do not allow Nepal-owned airlines to operate on its soil and airspace. It is a blanket ban.They say that it's safety record is poor. In January 2023, a Yeti airlines flight took off from Kathmandu for Pokhara. But just before landing while in air, it suddenly fell down killing on 72 people on board. 

Investigations revealed that the pilots had inadvertently switched off the power supply and caused the disaster. 

However, the countries that top the list in airline accidents are USA, Russia, Canada, Brazil, Colombia, UK, France, Indonesia, Mexico and India. In 2022, Nepal has a flight safety score of 70.1% which is above the global average of 67.2%. These ratings are from ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organisation). 

Flying in Nepal is challenging 

But pilots have stated that flying in Nepal is challenging. This is because of the rough terrains and strong winds. Weather prediction in remote areas where planes fly is not proper. Airports are at a high altitude and are tabletop and also have short runways. There have been 60 domestic flight crashes from 1946 to  July 2024 and seven foreign airlines crashes at Kathmandu airport. This excludes 34 helicopter crashes in the Himalayan nation. 

Moreover, there is a shortage of state of art equipments. Cheap aircrafts are used which may not stand the test of time. Their maintenance is also not proper. Aircraft operators management and training, skills, and discipline of pilots is also an issue. They do not adhere to ATC instructions. 

It is also stated that recommendations on air safety is ignored by aircraft operators since they are supported and shielded by politicians. Corruption is widespread in the aviation industry. 

Many airports do not have fencing, proper parking or emergency vehicle parking areas as per standard protocols. 

Hope admin and airplane operators rise above their greeds and red tapism to ensure safety of air passengers. 

The airport chief has said that after takeoff the pilot turned right wrongly. He should have turned left. So probably it was the fault of the pilot. Manish said that the flight failed to gain height after 100 feet and began to descend. They lost control of it and the plane landed with a thump on the ground. The speed was more but height was less. He fell unconscious after that.